Panel for revamp of Indo-Nepal treaty What has happened? The final report of a bilateral committee — appointed to advise governments in Delhi and Kathmandu — is likely to suggest that the 1950 India-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty should be revised Will guide relations in the future The committee will finalise its report, which will … Continue reading “Panel for revamp of Indo-Nepal treaty”

Partial success for Gram Swaraj Abhiyan What has happened? At the end of a three-week drive to bring seven flagship schemes to 16,850 villages with a high number of poor, SC (Scheduled Caste) and ST (Scheduled Tribe) households, less than 30% of the target households received an electricity connection, while less than 40% got a … Continue reading “Partial success for Gram Swaraj Abhiyan”

When NECTAR turned poison for bamboo What has happened? Bamboo farmers and entrepreneurs in the Northeast got a flicker of hope when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated Rs. 1,290 crore in Budget 2018 for a restructured National Bamboo Mission (NMB) President’s ordinance This followed President Ram Nath Kovind’s ordinance in November 2017 amending the … Continue reading “When NECTAR turned poison for bamboo”

Rupee is dancing to more tunes this year Context Menacing threats include rupee overvaluation, rising CAD, a retreat in capital flows and macroeconomic populism What has happened? The Indian currency has been facing some selling pressure for the last 4-5 weeks, chiefly on the back of rising crude price. The rupee fell against the U.S. … Continue reading “Rupee is dancing to more tunes this year”

Continental ambition What has happened? The African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) is a potential game changer for the world’s poorest region. The pact — signed by 44 of the 55-member African Union (AU) in March — seeks to create a single market in goods and services, free movement of persons and investment, and eventually … Continue reading “Continental ambition”

GST’s complicated Context The new compliance system and a proposal for cess on sugar send the wrong signals GST Council meeting Council decided to introduce a new compliance system under which a single monthly GST return will have to be submitted by firms, barring a few exceptions. However, this will only be done in a … Continue reading “GST’s complicated”

Adult couple can live together, says SC What has happened? The top court held that live-in relationships were now even recognized by the legislature and they had found a place under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 The case The observations came while the top court was hearing a … Continue reading “Adult couple can live together, says SC”